1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to underwater acoustic telemetry links and, in particular, to high reliability, low error rate systems with fixed data transmission rates.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Increasing the reliability of acoustic telemetry systems that must operate under realistic ocean conditions, and in the presence of a variety of noise and jamming sources, is an important area of underwater communications systems research. Designing a very low error-rate system with a fixed data transmission rate that will operate under all conditions is particularly difficult due to the extensive channel variability and frequent non-Gaussian events such as noisy pile driving, breaking wave bubble clouds, and high ambient turbulence levels. Maintaining continuous contact with a moving Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), for example, precludes use of highly directional transducers and the received signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) typically is further degraded by own-ship noise or maneuvering turbulence and bubble clouds.